The invention relates to computer systems and particularly to portable xe2x80x9cnotebookxe2x80x9d computer form factors.
Users of personal computers have been liberated from the restrictions of desktop-only use with the introduction of portable xe2x80x9cnotebookxe2x80x9d computers. The convenience and transportability of the notebook computer has produced a large and lucrative market for manufacturers of such machines. Portability is the key to the successful transport and use of a notebook computer in many different environments; therefore, notebook computer form factors are an exceedingly important consideration for the computer manufacturer seeking market share in this arena. The goal is to provide as thin and light-weight a machine as possible, while maintaining ease of usability of the machine.
In the past, notebook computer form factors have been limited by the sizes and placement of the necessary components within the computer. The computer designer must judiciously arrange the CPU motherboard, keyboard and keyboard baseplate, hard disk drive, options such as PCMCIA slots, and the battery to provide the most compact form factor possible. To date, at least some of these components are placed beneath the keyboard baseplate, thereby sacrificing thinness in order to provide a convenient notebook computer length and width. To date, the thinnest notebook computer available is about one and one-half inches thick. It is desirable to provide an even thinner notebook computer form factor for the consumer market.
According to the principles of the invention, there is provided a computer having a computer housing and a keyboard assembly in the housing. A motherboard is positioned directly below the keyboard assembly, the keyboard assembly and the motherboard thereby defining a region in the enclosure. The other components comprising the computer are positioned in an adjacent and generally co-planar relationship with this region, and a battery housing is mounted externally on the computer housing for supplying electrical power to the computer. An exceptionally thin portable computer is thereby provided.
More specifically, a hard disk drive, a PCMCIA option slot, a trackball assembly, and a DC to DC convertor are all located in a position forward of the region and in an adjacent and generally co-planar relationship with the region. The battery housing is movably attached to a rear side of the computer housing for supplying electrical power to the computer. According to this invention, a portable notebook computer is provided which is only one inch thick, and therefore at least 50% thinner than presently available portable notebook computers.